Perth blogger gets death threats over blackface controversy

Popular Perth blogger Constance Hall says she is receiving death threats after she spoke out about the picture at the centre of a ‘blackface’ incident, which had been posted to her Facebook page.

Accompanied by a picture of Hall looking distraught, she explained that she did not think she had shamed the mother of the child who was photographed dressed up as his idol, Nic Natainui.

“I clearly stated that I don't believe she is racist at all, she has a beautiful son with a great hero. I just don't think we should paint our kids in blackface if it offends and hurts people,” she said via Facebook.

The mother had posted directly onto Hall’s Facebook page that her son wanted to dress up as his idol, Nic Naitanui of the West Coast Eagles and that despite being "a little worried" when deciding to paint his face, she "grew a set of balls and painted my boy brown".

Hall’s page has more than 880,000 followers.

In her latest post, Hall said she was advised that once the blackface incident became national news, she “had to comment”.

“I was asked for my comment from various media outlets and it couldn't have come at a worse time,” she wrote after also saying that her and her family were facing difficulties unrelated to the controversy.

In her most recent post, Hall says she has never received so much abuse in her life.

“… I am being called a c--- from [the mother’s] family, I have received death threats. I ban them and they start new accounts, they are relentless,” she said.

“I am so sorry that I have offended so many people, I never meant to. I was raised to be very culturally sensitive, taken to aboriginal rights protests and spending my holidays in the communities with family that were teachers, that is part of who I am.”

“Please stop sending me these horrible messages and writing these things on my wall, I am feeling really broken and alone right now and I don't have the strength for this.